​Developing an Academic Medicine (AM) culture is one of SingHealth’s key priorities identified at the SingHealth Duke-NUS Strategy Retreat last year. But what exactly does an AM culture mean and what does it look like in action?

1. An AM culture must reflect clinical excellence, innovation in science and medicine and world-class standards in education. Just as a point of comparison, established AM Centres like the Mayo Clinic published about 5,600 research publications in FY13, compared to SingHealth’s 970.   Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust (UK) managed 202 research patents three years into their AM journey.   Over the equivalent period, we have achieved 162 research patents.
   
2. Our AM culture must stem from a mindset that is constantly questioning and seeking ways to advance medical knowledge and drive transformative innovation in healthcare delivery and systems, for the benefit of patients.
   
3. A full-fledged AM culture means earning an international reputation for innovation and cutting edge research initiatives.   Even though it may appear daunting and impossible, the courage to venture into the unknown and the dogged determination to press on deliver our best chances of success.
   
4. Reinforcing the AM culture are structures that foster a collaborative culture such as the SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Clinical Programs and the SingHealth Duke-NUS Disease Centres.   All of the above will create a culture that we will cocreate as one SingHealth family to guide us on our transformational journey.
   

Some of our recent breakthrough innovations that resulted in better outcomes for patients include :
• A method to slow down myopia progression in children by 60%
• Discovery of the genetic cause of common breast tumours in women
• Polyclinic nurses trained to diagnose bronchoconstriction in asthmatic patients, significantly improving rescue therapy rates
• A shoulder rehabilitation device to help patients regain upper limb function at home

For more information, email ivan.tan.e.h@singhealth.com.sg